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City of Newton Info

Educational Forum: American Rescue Plan Act

December 9, 2021 (Thursday, 7:00-8:00pm) – An Educational Forum on the American Rescue Plan Act and Its Impact on Newton.  LWVN co-sponsored an educational forum, together with U-CHAN, regarding the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Lizzi Weyant, Director of Government Affairs at the Metropolitan Area Council, gave an overview of ARPA and discussed the eligible uses of ARPA funding in support of an actionable plan to lay the groundwork of a strong and equitable recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impacts in Newton.

Watch the video of the presentation.

For further information on ARPA, read the ARPA Fact Sheet issued by the U.S Treasury.

Reimagining Our Village Centers

collage_vc

September 13, 2021 (Monday, 7:00-8:00pm) – Reimaging our Village Centers.  As part of the City’s community engagement efforts related to the redesign of the City’s Zoning Code, LWVN invited community members to get together to share their experiences of, and their future visions for, their village centers.  The City will use the input generated by this meeting to help it identify areas of research for how to update zoning for village centers.

Read here for more information on the City’s Zoning Code redesign process, and the results of its community engagement with regard to village centers.

The League Presents: Newton’s Municipal Budget

Newton City Councilor Becky Grossman, Ward 7
Newton City Councilor Becky Grossman, Ward 7
Newton COO Jonathan Yeo
Newton COO Jonathan Yeo

Given that it is budget season at the local and state level, Marcia Johnson was able to have a conversation about Newton’s Municipal Budget with Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Yeo and Councilor-at-Large, Ward 7, Becky Grossman, Finance Committee Chair.  For many, the city’s budgeting processes seem to be somewhat of an enigma, so the League has taken this opportunity to provide more insight into the process and ways in which citizens can be engaged.  They talked about the following:

  • The process that the Mayor, her executive team, and department heads follow to prepare the budget document and how they contribute to the City Council’s deliberations.
  • Important fiscal-year milestones, most importantly mayoral budget presentations.
  • The steps that the City Council, its Standing Committees, and the Finance Committee follow to have input into the process, review, amend, and approve the budget document.
  • The timing of various meetings, which will be held via Zoom and where community members can find important documents.
  • How best for community members to be engaged.

Watch the video now!

Read more →

Saying Thank You and Good-bye – A conversation with outgoing City Clerk David Olson

In the last few days before his retirement, I had the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with David.  Twenty years ago, he came to Newton from the House of Seven Gables to lead Historic Newton, which was housed in the Jackson Homestead.  In 2005, at the time of Ed English’s retirement, David applied for the position of City Clerk and Clerk of the Board of Aldermen (now City Council) and became the eighth City Clerk in Newton’s history.

Let’s now learn about David and how he approached this new and intriguing opportunity to work with the Newton community and others in City Hall.  He brought leadership, innovation, and a focus on talent development to the Clerk’s office that it had not seen before, especially to the Elections Office.  The City Council and the Executive Department will miss David, and so will I!

Thank you, David for all that you have done for Newton!  You are leaving big shoes to be filled.

Marcia Johnson

The League Presents: A Conversation with Susan Albright, President of the Newton City Council

Recently, I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Susan Albright, President of the Newton City Council and a Councilor at-Large for Ward 2. The City Council is Newton’s legislative branch of municipal government.  It is made up of 24 members – sixteen at-large Councilors and eight Ward Councilors.  Susan has been a city councilor for 16 years and president for almost one year.

I thought it would be good to learn about how she and the Council have managed the incredibly challenging 2020.  She reflected on her first year as president and shared her priorities for her next year.  She also shared the process for filling the councilor vacancies because of Councilor Jay Ciccone’s untimely passing and Councilor Auchincloss’ successful election to Congressman-elect for District 4.

The LWVN Needs YOU to be the Eyes & Ears of the League

Effective League activity in a community relies on an understanding of how local government works.  A League Observer is the eyes and ears of the League, learning how government works and about issues that are, or may become, items for local study and action.  Consistent League presence at these meetings also adds to the League’s visibility and credibility.

We are looking for volunteers to observe City Council committee meetings.  Many people follow full City Council meetings, however fewer follow the committees where  the “work” really takes place.  Being an LWVN Observer,  is an informative and educational opportunity which is much easier today with the meetings taking place by Zoom.   So how do you become an LWVN Observer:

  1. Familiarize yourself with the various City Council committees and select the one(s) that interest you the most
  2. Use this link to find a list of current City Council  committee meetings, the agenda, and Zoom access information.
  3. Send an email to info@lwvnewton.org. to let us know of your interest and we will provide assistance and information to get you started.
  4. Then sit back, dial into the meeting, listen, learn, and take notes…what could be more educational and easier!